'Our role is integral to football's future' - independent football regulator the regulator's chair
Sheffield Wednesday's current difficulties are seen as a "serious issue" and the new football authority is looking to gain the ability to examine team situations in comparable cases, the recently named head the regulator has declared.
During an extensive discussion, the chairman, who was named to the position this week, expressed "sympathy" towards the club's followers.
Kogan met with four fan organizations associated with the South Yorkshire club recently.
The team have been experiencing difficulties in multiple areas in 2025, with the club delaying salary disbursements on multiple instances, including in last month.
"Clearly Sheffield Wednesday has been a significant problem for EFL and a significant problem for football," the regulator explained.
"Sheffield Wednesday is one of the historic institutions for English football and in recent days we have met supporters' organizations.
"We're now looking to get powers... which will allow us to have Wednesday and comparable cases referred to us if they need to be investigated and addressed."
Financial Struggles and Proprietorship Status
The team's struggling chairman the Thai businessman suggested earlier this year he would be willing to sell up at their home ground, but he has failed to complete a sale with potential new owners.
Missed wage deadlines on time in spring months caused limitations by the English Football League (EFL) in summer, blocking the team from conducting any transfers or loans for the subsequent signing windows, although that restriction was lifted in August.
Authority's Position
Kogan said: "The position was created for the Owls followers, teams facing challenges where people are committed to a local institution that has been part of their lives in multiple situations.
"I fully appreciate the team's plight, as I do for all the clubs that in modern times have encountered failure, or been close to going to the wall, for causes separate from the fans themselves."
Inquired if the authority might compel an chairman to relinquish a club if they are judged inappropriate, the chairman responded: "When asking whether 'would we intervene in the final instance?', the answer is once we assemble the facts and understand the situation, we will."
But Kogan stressed that requiring chairmen to relinquish clubs would be considered the final option and the regulator would prefer to cooperate with proprietors.
"The last thing what we want to do is commence engagement with an particular organization, an particular chairman, without being able to work with that proprietor to address the problems affecting the organization and the owner's facing," the regulator explained.
"In actuality, when you look back over the history of football, over the last 20 or 30 years there have been particular chairmen, not many, but particular people who have shown negligence in the way which they've been managing their teams and eventually refuse to accept accountability for the future."
Wednesday followers have been protesting against the current proprietor during the current campaign
'Mistakes could erase significant advances'
Kogan met with officials from numerous teams to lay out the remit of the oversight body this week and stated it constituted a "proactive meeting" with a "high level of engagement" from the grassroots to elite level.
"This position carries substantial significance, because if errors are made, if the football community fails, the significant advances achieved necessary will vanish rapidly," the chairman stated.
"And that's what nobody wants in the terms of English football is a major achievement - we've got to keep it going.
"There's an enormous amount of money flowing into the game and has come into football for the recent generations, because there's no guarantee it will continue to come into football, which is one of the reasons why I think we have to maintain a focused outlook on risk and of course, of the next two or three years."
Top Flight Apprehensions
Elite division representatives objected to the establishment of an oversight body because of apprehensions regarding adverse consequences on the Premier League's sporting equality, but Kogan said: "I completely endorse the achievement and development as an commercial operation of the top division.
"I of all people understand the concern of undermining the Premier League as a premium product of the nation. But at the same time, if you talk to the Premier League after the recent gathering, they would have had a high level of reassurance -and, indeed, they have been advising us privately they have a significant confidence."
Political Connections
The chairman continues to confront a "comprehensive investigation" by the official appointments authority after he revealed he contributed money to the Labour Party in 2020.
The official donated money to Culture Secretary the minister's leadership bid, along with that of the government leader.
"I've been completely open about my previous political affiliation [with Labour], and that ideological connection terminated the day the select committee approved my appointment," the regulator explained.
"I am no longer involved in any type of partisan engagement."
